John Paul Jones, as many of you may know played bass and keyboards for Led Zeppelin. This is all that many people know of him and that’s a shame.

So, for this featured video, we’ll take a look (a listen, really) at a something Jonesy has done in the more recent past. Although a bit of a multi-instrumentalist, JPJ does have a thing for the bass. This post, therefore, is a bit of a homage to our low-down bass-bretheren.

In 1999, Jones released the album, Zooma. This was an instrumental album. While ‘instrumental album’ may make some readers groan inwardly (or outwardly if there’s nobody around), they shouldn’t. Zooma is actually very, very good with none of the ego or self-indulgence that some instrumental albums can have. Jonesy played keyboards, guitars, mandala, his crazy triple-necked guitar thing and bass. Not just one bass though – many basses. Not just ordinary basses – crazy frickin’ basses, including an 8-string, a 12-string bass and a lap-steel bass.

Really. I saw him tour Zooma (in a really small, intimate, brilliant venue) and he definitely had a lap-steel bass. Crazy bassists.

If you only know Jones from Led Zeppelin, Zooma may surprise you. It’s not at all Zeppeliny. For some, this might be a huge relief but there are some that may fear this sort of non-Zeppelin stuff. To these latter, I say, “give it a go, it’s good.”

Unfortunately, this is more of a featured audio. There’s no video footage as such – just a sad visualisation thing that looks like an early 8-bit video game. Never mind. Just close your eyes, open your ears and absorb those big, fat bass notes.

If this has whetted your appetite, you can pop to Amazon and get a copy of Zooma. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Also, check out Jones’ 2001 follow-up, The Thunderthief too. Lastly, if you’re still interested in hopping on the Jonesy Train, Them Crooked Vultures (with Grohl and Homme) is more than a little rocktastic and well worth a listen.